


Pain

by WinchesterWarrenSon



Series: Battle Scars Series [14]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Developmentally Disabled Son Goku, Disabled Character, M/M, Relationship Problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-04-02 18:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4070683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinchesterWarrenSon/pseuds/WinchesterWarrenSon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after Sanctuary. Sanctuary doesn't have to be read for this to be understood. Yamcha's leg hurts worse after the encounter with the death trap. Life is more back to normal now that they're no longer responsible for over a hundred children, but not entirely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pain

**Author's Note:**

> The shift in narrative in terms of the home for disabled people was going to happen regardless of comments from readers. It had been a planned temporary event in the landscape of Goku and Yamcha's relationship. Eugenic piss-ants had no influence over it.

The relief Yamcha felt when the safe haven for the disabled children and adults were no longer his problem was immense. Goku was disappointed (complete with an adorable pout that actually reminded Yamcha more of Krillin than Goku), but Yamcha didn't have it in him to be sympathetic. The strain that the project had put on him mentally was astronomical, and after surviving the death trap he and Chichi had been trapped in, he just did not have the ability or energy to deal with it. 

Bulma had made sure that trustworthy people who knew what they were doing and genuinely cared about the people in their care were put in charge of the project, and then Bulma and Yamcha had drinks because halleluiah it wasn't their problem anymore. 

Goku was not nearly as happy, and he didn't drink anyway, so he pretty much just sat there watching them drink until he got bored and went to train in the GR with Vegeta and Trunks. 

Yamcha had never been happier to be back in a shit-hole apartment with a minimum-wage paying job. But the cheerfulness had a hard time staying with his new problem. Or rather, his old problem getting worse. 

The razor wire had dug so deep into his leg that the doctors had to stitch it up extensively, and he had appointments to check on his leg, see if there were any infections to be worried about, and in general it just sucked. It hurt far more than before, to the point where Yamcha needed heavy-duty pain medication that the doctors had prescribed. Yamcha was fearful of addiction, but in the throes of pain, he couldn't bring himself to give a damn. 

He couldn't push himself through this kind of pain. This was the kind of pain that left him screaming on the floor, and it was relentless. He almost wished that the razor wire trap had just taken the whole thing off. 

He was scared it wouldn't ever heal and that it would always hurt this much. But he couldn't afford to spend weeks in the hospital when he "didn't have to." And he could still move around with the medication. He didn't need it. 

He kept telling himself that. 

Goku seemed to eventually get over not having the disabled kids and adults around, though Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong would occasionally catch him going through his exercise routines that he had put together so they could improve on motor functioning (though Goku didn't realize those exercises were good for that - his entire tactic with those was "here, let's try this, do you like this exercise? yay!"). As they re-settled into their usual pre-hundreds-of-children, it quickly became apparent that Goku, Puar, and Oolong did still have someone to take care of. 

Goku, unfortunately, wasn't very good at it.... 

Yamcha was screaming on the floor, and Goku had gotten the injection for the pain medication, but Goku was trying to remember how to inject the damn thing and Yamcha was screaming and he couldn't think straight. He could see the needle in front of him, and he hated needles, but Yamcha needed it, and he couldn't remember the instructions for sticking it in him. 

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, GOKU, GIVE ME THE FUCKING SHOT!" Yamcha screamed, hands grabbing at his leg. 

Goku startled, which made him fumble with the injection. It fell out of his hand, and he tried to grab it without sticking himself, but it just fell to the floor and he had to retrieve it again. 

In a way, Yamcha couldn't help it. He was in severe pain and was frustrated and just wanted the fucking shot and he couldn't get it himself right then. It was his fault for not having it on him at all times, but goddammit why couldn't Goku just know how to inject it!? 

"DAMMIT GOKU, CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT!?" 

Puar could see that the words cut deep and the screaming was making Goku unable to focus, so Puar took it from Goku and injected it herself. 

Yamcha was finally able to just focus on breathing as the pain started to ebb away. The relief that came with being without pain was glorious. 

Goku kept his distance and didn't say much for a while after that. 

As time wore on, Yamcha became better at taking his pain medication before it was an emergency, and Puar actually was contacted by the sanctuary staff about becoming an educator there again. A lot of the children had responded well to her lessons, and they were offering more money than Puar's job at the cat cafe, so she accepted the offer. 

Yamcha could barely remember the cruel things he'd yell when he was in extreme pain, but it would echo in Goku's head and yet Goku wouldn't say a word about it. It kept him up at night, so he would train instead. He ended up being very tired in the mornings, but he'd not talk about it, and honestly Puar, Oolong, and Yamcha didn't notice he was bothered by anything. 

His head hurt so much during the periods where Yamcha's words would rattle around in his head. But he didn't take pain medication for it, and he didn't bring it up, and no one noticed because he didn't show any indicators of being in any pain at all. He was just more quiet than usual. 

Months later, Bulma had invited Yamcha, Goku, Puar, and Oolong to her place, and Krillin, 18, and Marron were there too. Trunks and Marron got to play while the adults talked. 

Some of it was small talk, but Yamcha had a very important topic he wanted to talk to 18 about. 

"18? I was wondering.... What was the process of becoming a cyborg like?" 

18 just stared at Yamcha, but Krillin looked offended on her behalf. 

"The hell, Yamcha!?" Krillin asked, getting out of his chair which . . . ended up making him look smaller in comparison to the table than before. 

"You're asking because you want your bad leg replaced, right?" 18 said. 

Krillin, Bulma, and Vegeta looked surprised at her statement. Yamcha was just surprised that she had been able to guess that so easily. 

"Yeah. It's just . . . I can only be on pain medication for so long, y'know? And I was wondering if . . . ." 

"If the process was more painful than it's worth?" 

"Yeah." 

"Well.... I didn't choose to be a cyborg. I'm sure the process is different if you elect to do it with a legitimate doctor. They'll probably use anesthetic. But once the new parts are hooked up and in, it's painless. I don't feel much pain, if any, in my robotic parts." 

18 showed no indication that Yamcha could read that she was at all bothered by the conversation. Krillin still looked upset. 

"Thanks," Yamcha said, saying the word with a lot of gratitude in it. 

"You're welcome," 18 said, sounding as neutral as ever. 

There was an awkward silence. Then Goku spoke up. 

"If it doesn't hurt anymore, does that mean you'll stop yelling at me?" 

Yamcha turned to look at him, and it stuck him just how . . . sad Goku looked for a moment. 

Yamcha's response was too slow. By the time his mouth was attempting to form words, he just barely heard Goku mutter under his breath words that Yamcha didn't remember ever saying but knew he _must_ have. 

"Dammit Goku, can't you do anything right?"

"Goku - " 

But before he could say anything, Goku teleported, and Bulma's watch alerted her that Goku was in the GR. Vegeta took that as his cue to get some training in as well. 

Yamcha sighed heavily and rubbed his face with his hands. 

_Dammit Yamcha, can't you do anything right?_


End file.
